Page 67 of Kandi's Crush: A BWWM Sweet Billionaire Romance

“Well, you look refreshed.” I nodded to the living room. “You can put those there.” Auntie placed the shopping bags on the floor. She followed me to the kitchen area and watched as I set the food bags on the countertop and began to sort the various containers and wrapped sandwiches. I turned to reach into the cabinet for plates.

“Where’s my nephew? Is he going to join us?” She scanned the loft.

“He’s meeting with contractors and home inspectors in preparation for closing on our next home. He bought an old, broken down Victorian in the Lower Garden. He envisions that the house will serve as our family home. It looks like a smaller version of the St. Clair mansion. Auntie, I wish you could see this house. He FaceTimed during the tour. I could smell it through the phone. I can’t believe he wants us to move there.” I scrunched my face up, and the gesture elicited a fit of giggles.

“Chère, let that man have dreams for his family. I’m sure it’ll be gorgeous when it’s done.”

“Auntie, he’s an incredible man and everything I dreamed of. He supports me and always looks out for my best interest. He says what’s on his mind.” I stopped and thought about that before letting out a small chuckle. “Well, we’re working on delivery of what’s on his mind. So, what’s going on at Scrub-A-Dub?”

Marie-Therese brought me up to speed on all the business goings-on. She talked about the recent contracts with Loyola and potential opportunities for expansion into neighboring states.

“Chère, I’m here to see how you’re doing. Why are you avoiding us?” Her question was soft and hesitant.

“It seems better for now. I don’t want to make things worse.”

“But when you do that, it hurts all of us.” She put down her spoon, her words trailed off as sadness took over. “Your mother is . . . something else. One of the proudest moments of my life was when you finally stood up for yourself. I wondered when you would break out of the box she put you in.”

“Auntie, I didn’t want to be disrespectful, but I couldn’t take anymore.”

“You weren’t disrespectful. I expect a married woman to stand up for herself.” She reached over and placed a brownie on my plate. “Kandi, there are some things even I don’t share with Celeste. She can be so judgmental. She would never understand half of the things going on in my life, so I don’t tell her. Life is easier that way.”

Now, I was curious. Auntie was extroverted and funny, and I would never have thought she had secrets. For a brief second, I contemplated delving deeper into the topic but decided against it. I didn’t feel like I’d moved to the level of maturity for that discussion.

“Let me tell you about your mother. I was only eight years old when she brought you home. I was so excited because you were like a living doll. Well, until I realized that I was no longer the baby in the family.” She tossed her head back and let out a loud laugh. “I enjoyed dressing you and doing your hair. Meanwhile, Celeste was so afraid. She would watch you while you were asleep to make sure you didn’t stop breathing.”

I smiled. It was a rare occurrence to hear a positive memory from when I was a baby. Mama had shared stories to frighten me away from teen pregnancy.

“Kandi, she vowed to give you so many opportunities. She didn’t want to mess up your life. She didn’t worry when you were nothing but buckteeth and thick glasses. But the year those braces came off, and you started wearing contacts, she began to worry. In her mind, her baby had blossomed into a beautiful, long-legged woman overnight. Actually, we all worried. You were gorgeous but so naïve, it terrified her. She didn’t want men to use you. Her life’s mission was to get you through college. After college, she wanted to find a man who wouldn’t hurt you. She went overboard. Her actions represent the extreme, but she means well.”

“How long will this go on?”

“Kandi, she’s miserable, but give her time. I would settle for nothing less than an apology to you and Chadwick. Until then, she must suffer.” She leaned over and placed a hand over mine. “Now, let’s talk about the suitcases under your eyes. I know you’re a newlywed, and you guys aren’t sleeping much. Tell that man you need a full eight hours.”

“Auntie, I’ve been going through a bout of insomnia. This whole mess with Mama . . .”

“Yeah. I’m sure it’s a real mood killer. Have you gone to the doctor? I’m sure it’s your iron levels. They’ll likely give you supplements, and you’ll feel much better.”

“I have an appointment for next week.”

“Good. You gotta look good for your husband. Speaking of that, I have a few gifts for you from my last trip to Vegas. I bought several items from Agent Provocateur,” she added a wink. “I didn’t want to say anything, but stop whatever diet you’re on. You’re looking a little too thin. You don’t want to lose that lovely figure.”

Chadwick

It had been five weeks since Kandace walked away from the Scrub-A-Dub office and never looked back, separating herself from her mother. She rarely, if ever, mentioned my mother-in-law, yet Celeste was a constant intruder in our lives.

I knocked on the door to the master bedroom. My shell of a wife had isolated herself in the bedroom to make the final updates to the thesis, but lately, I’d been catching her distracted and deep in thought.

If she wasn’t daydreaming, she spent the day shuffling aimlessly from the living room to the bedroom. From time to time, I caught her organizing and reorganizing the kitchen cabinets and pantry. In fact, each day, she found a new area to spruce up.

Then, there were the tears. So many tears. Whether she wanted to believe it, my wife was a crier. But lately, the tears flowed like the water out of a fire hydrant. Last week, she’d had a full-blown meltdown because I had eaten the last chocolate ice cream bar. She’d hidden it on the top shelf in the freezer, behind the bags of vegetables. I’d promptly gone out to buy more, and now chocolate ice cream bars overran the freezer.

That had been our first argument. At least I think it was an argument. We raised our voices, and she’d shed a few tears. My confusion had grown as Kandace went on and on about the special ice cream bar. Unable to figure out what the hell was going on, I’d retreated to our bedroom. I had thought it best to stay far, far away from her. That had been the first night we hadn’t spent the evening nestled in each other’s arms.

After two hours of reading articles and playing games on my iPad, I had been more than ready to make up. I’d walked into the living room with my hands in my pockets.

“Kandace? Sweets?” I’d called out softly. I had found my wife sitting on the sectional. This time, she’d had a wad of Kleenex in her hands.

I’d slid onto the sofa until our bodies touched. She had sniffled and wiped her nose before regarding me with puffy eyes. I’d controlled my need to solve her problems and I just let her cry.

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